The 1st January, 2005 marked the beginning of my term as Director General of the National Intelligence Agency. It was also one week before we mark the 10th Anniversary of the establishment of the NICOC, SASS and NIA. Their establishment ushered in a new Civilian Intelligence dispensation for a Constitutional Democracy in our country.

I am honoured to be part of a team of women and men, who have steered this ship through the first decade of our democracy. As we enter the second decade of our democracy, we must accept that a lot of work still needs to be done, after developing policies, laws, regulations and rules in the last decade; we must therefore begin the process of implementing those wonderful policies, and putting them into practice by living them.

Over the past years a lot of groundwork has gone into ensuring that the National Intelligence Agency has structures and systems in place to ensure delivery on our mandate. My assumption of duty must therefore be understood as one that will build on what has already been achieved, and not undo or redo existing sound strategic plans and processes; systems and structures. Part of my vision is that the Agency needs to live up to its intelligence and counterintelligence mandate at a time and space wherein our client has identified specific priorities for the foreseeable future. It is therefore incumbent upon the Agency to speedily align itself with those government priorities in order to continue to remain relevant and to move the organisation towards servicing the client even better.

In our endeavour to service our client, we must ensure that we also improve on the quality of the product. Therefore, our efforts in the second decade of democracy must produce a quality of officers and product that must be second to none. It must be enviable to our competitors and a dependable organisation and product to our principals and clients. This implies that we must develop a learning organisation that continuously strives for excellence all round, never satisfied with second best; a credible organisation and officers who will and must remain above reproach.

May I also take this opportunity of bidding farewell to Mr. Vusi Mavimbela, and thank him for a job well done while he was at the helm of this organisation. I wish him well in all his future endeavours, aware of the fact that he will remain an Intelligence Officer for Life. We will continue to tap on his wisdom now and in the future.

I look forward to pulling up my sleeves and committing shoulder to wheel, and join in the toil of the NIA collective.

Mr. Billy Masetlha

Director General

National Intelligence Agency